


The World Looks Better in Your Eyes

by Geronimoandbemagnificent



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Cute, Fluff, Kind of comfort, M/M, Mistletoe, Penguins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sid can ice dance, bless timbits, colombus blue jackets, jack is very much in love, kind of angst, so is sid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9040970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geronimoandbemagnificent/pseuds/Geronimoandbemagnificent
Summary: Sid and Jack reunite on Christmas Eve. ~*~This string of texts flustered Sid to no end. He wasn't a hockey robot like the press said. He wanted to know why the good game handshake with Jack lasted longer than his others did, and why he felt so warm after Jack smiled at him.Fuck it, he'll answer. What could go wrong?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Burning_Up_A_Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Up_A_Sun/gifts).



> This is a Christmas present for my wonderful and beautiful best friend Sun. You're my rock, my beta, and the best friend a nonbinary could ever ask for. I can't even put it into words how much I love you. 
> 
> (I can confirm that Sid do got dat booty thooo)

In retrospect, this wasn't exactly the way Sid thought he would be spending his Christmas. He'd gotten a text from Jack asking what he was doing for the holidays.

 **To Sid:** hey!

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he was dressing after practice. He and Jack had an amiable relationship since he was put in the Q. Sid always wanted to take time out to talk to Jack but he was in a game and he had to focus. He couldn't flirt and win a game against his ex(?) best friend, and first ex boyfriend. 

That unfortunately proved to be a disaster against the Blue Jackets, who won 7 to 1. Sid couldn't shake the feeling of Jack's eyes on his ass, even through the game. Their eyes would lock, and his mind would go to the dorm they shared, not the rink they were dueling on. 

He wished he'd ended things better—not in a fight, blown up at each other instead of a teary goodbye. A "maybe we could work this out" instead of a "bye, Johnson". 

This string of texts flustered Sid to no end. He wasn't a hockey robot like the press said. He wanted to know why the good game handshake with Jack lasted longer than his others did, and why he felt so warm after Jack smiled at him.

Fuck it, he'll answer. What could go wrong?

 **To Jack:** hey?

He didn't really know how to respond. He would normally take it as a _"hey how you doin'?" "Nothing much how've you been?" "Good? You?" "Good"_ and that was it, but this was the third time that day. They hadn't really talked much and now Jack was striking up conversation almost every chance he got.

 **To Sid:** how...how are you spending your holidays?

  
 **To Jack:** hockey, I think I have a game honestly. If not, I'll be practicing.

  
 **To Jack:** why do you ask?

Sid couldn't understand the flurry of butterflies in his chest when Jack asked him. They had a small fling in high school. _That's it._ They ended on...terms, why are these feelings rising again?

 **To Sid:** well, I'm in town, and I was wondering

  
 **To Sid:** do you wanna get Tim Hortons and catch up?

"Sid, why are you smiling? Got a _girl_ texting you?" Tanger asked, bumping his shoulder. Kris Letang knew from years of sharing a room with Sid that he was gay, and was normally a wingman when the team went to bars after games. They had a good system of pronouns, replacing 'he's with 'she's, and Letang always made sure Sid had privacy.

"Just--just an old friend, I guess. She wants to catch up." Sid couldn't hid his blush if he tried.

"Are you gonna do it?"

"I don't know. We had a thing in high school."

"You should go!" Letang smiled.

"Yeah, yeah I should." Sid nodded, texting an ' _okay_ ' with a blushing smiley face. He got a heart in return.

~*~

Sid was never good at waiting. He decided to lace up and set out on the ice. The coach for the Penguins thought (for the men that weren't total idiots who conformed to regular societal norms of what 'man' should be and do) that ice dancing would be a good asset to learn.

And Sid loved it. He loved to immerse himself in anything, be it physics, or a foreign language. He started a normal pace, surrounding himself in the flurries of snowflakes and the swirls of heavy breaths.

"One, two, three, axel." He grunted as he jumped, turned and landed. He smiled as he landed on the right outer edge. _Perfect_.

He was about to start on salchows, when he heard clapping. And then every grace he had stopped. He looked up, saw the smile on Jack's face and he was seventeen again and in love with his roommate.

"Jack, hi, how are you?" He skated over to the opening to the rink. Jack smiled and oh _God, he got prettier in ten years._

"I'm good. It's nice to see you outside of a game. You look relaxed."

 _And you look fucking hot._ "Thank you, it's nice to see you too." Sid hoped the cold would cover his blush.

"I didn't know you figure skated." Jack said, putting on his took. _Fuck fuck fuck, think of words, Sidney. You won a Stanley cup, you can flirt with a guy._

"Ice dance. Yeah, coach said it's a good thing to learn. Teaches you grace and it's another way to navigate your way through the ice. Actually--"

"Sid. Sidney. Sidney." Jack laughed, resting his hand on Sid's shoulder to stop his rambling.

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna go inside?" Jack smiled, and Sid was at a loss for words. He's so. Fucking. In love?

"Yes, yeah, of course. It's freezing out here, eh?" His Scotian accent was so thick when he's embarrassed.

The warm shop was a haven from the Pennsylvanian tundra outside. A corner booth, some Timbits, and coffee, and god. It feels like a date? Sid's heartbeat was too fast for normal, even after a practice. Jack was all blue eyes and bright smiles, and he talked so passionately about hockey, like he was a fan, not a player.

"--and when you scored the goal, then Fehr scored the winning goal to get into the playoffs? Genius! You're an amazing player!" Jack gushed.

"You watch my games?" Sid blushed, carding his hands through his hair.

"Of course. You were my roommate, my best friend, my..." Jack looked down at his coffee. "Anyway, if I can't watch, I listen. I've made some 'enemies'" he quoted, rolling his eyes. "They think I'm being traded to the Pens."

"Are you?"

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about." Jack said. "My contract's about to expire on New Year's, and they want me traded for a good player. Kessel, actually. It's my decision; I can renew my contract, or I can trade."

"What's there to talk about then?" Sid couldn't help his heart sink a little. Jack had probably moved on already. Sid couldn't blame him--it had been ten years.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you were okay with me trading. You're team captain and know your team best, I'd just wonder if I'd be a good—"

"Yes. Yes, of course you would. Don't be blind. It's an amazing opportunity."

"And I'd get to work with you all the time. Like high school."

"Like high school." Sid smiled.

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about." Jack started. "I-I'm sorry for the way I treated you when you transferred to the Q."

"How do you mean?"

"You were my best friend, and I was super closeted. And I pushed you, and the best relationship I've had away." He lowered his voice, so no one overheard.

"I did a lot of pushing too. I immersed myself in hockey to lessen the pain of leaving you." Sid took a coffee stirrer and turned it through his fingers. Bad habit he'd never gotten rid of.

There was a companionable silence for the next minute or so, both boys trying to word their next sentence.

"Would you--" they said at the same time.

"I mean, you can go first." Jack flushed red.

"No, no you." Sid waved his hand, his stomach twisting.

"I--I was just wondering if, maybe, when I transfer, if you wanted to--"

"Date?" Sid blurted out. Jack grinned.

"Yeah, yes. That's exactly what I was going to say. Unless you don't feel the same way anymore and that's totally fine I don't want to make it weird or anything--"

"Jack, Jack!" Sid laughed, stopping Jack's ramble. "Yes of course we could start again."

"Good." Jack smiled. They stood and Sid blushed, pointing to the faux mistletoe painting on the wall.

"Do you--" Sid asked, interrupted by cold chapped lips pressed against his, tasting of coffee and sugary glaze from timbits. It was like coming home from a long trip.

"Is that a good enough answer?" Jack teased.

"Yeah. Yeah it was. Do you wanna go to my place?" Sid asked on a whim. The kiss was intoxicating, and he was addicted. Jack twined their fingers together, smiling as he kissed Sid again.

So no, it wasn't how Sid expected to spend his Christmas Eve. It was so, _so_ much better. 

**Author's Note:**

> Merry christmas my dear. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated.


End file.
